Safety-razor-blade sharpener.



W. 0. FAIST. SAFETY RAZOR BLADE SH'ARPENER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12,1911.

1,1 32 C179. Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Wit/10498886 In vent/"0 1 3 MMMWMM v "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WTLLIAM O. FAIST, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,

ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE MACHINERY & SPECIALTYCOMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WIS- CONSIN, A. CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN. V

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. FAIsT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, 'haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razor-Blade Sharpeners, of which the following is a specification,reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

- The main object of this invention is to facilitate honing andstropping or sharpening safety razornblades of various kinds.

It consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts ashereinafter particularly described and defined in the appended claims,

In the accompanying drawing like characters designate the same parts-1nthe several figures.

Figure l is a side "elevation of a-blade sharpener embodying theinvention, as viewed from the left relative to Figs. 4: and 5; Fig. 2 isa vertical section thereof on the line 2 2, Fig. 4:; Fig; 3 is asimilarsection on the line. 3 3, Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a vertical transversesection onthe line 4: 4, Fig. l;

1 Fig. 5 is a plan view of the sharpenerv showing the blade holder"opened to receive a erably threaded centrally, in the'cross blade; andFig. 6 is a detached view of the blade holder showing the same closedwith a blade inserted therein.

The sharpener comprises a U shaped frame a, which is preferably made ofcom-.

paratively heavy spring sheet metal and provided with a handle I) whichpiece ofthe frame so that it may be readily removed therefrom and placedtherewith when not in use, in a small box or case.

The frame is formed in the sides with alined parallel and open slots ornotches c, in which are removably fitted the reduced ends 'of atransverse screw'shaft d. On the reduced ends of this shaft inside ofand adjacent to the sides of the frame, are rotatably mounted tractiondrive wheels e, having grooved peripheries in which are inserted rubberrings or elastic tires f.

A sharpening wheel 9 is threaded on the shaft d between and coaxial withthe drive wheels 6 which serve as stops to limit the axial movement ofthe sharpening wheel in Specification of Letters Patent.

removably and pref- Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed June 12, 1911. Serial N 0. 632,563.

opposite directions. A rod h passing loosely through the sharpeningwheel parallel with the shaft d, is held at the ends in the drive wheelse, and forms an axially shifting rotating connection betweenthe drivewheels and the sharpening wheel. Between one of the drive wheels 6 andthe adjacent side of the frame-a, a gear 2' is rotatably mounted on thereduced end ofthe shaft (5 in frictional contact with said drive wheel.A forked bow spring y' fitting over the flattened sides of the shaft dbetween the gear 2' and the adjacent side of the frame, holds said gearin frictional engagement with the adjacent drive wheel 8. Nuts 70 and Zthreaded on the ends of the shaft (Z outside of the frame, serve tofasten the shaft d in the frame and to adjust the tension of the spring7'.

The reduced endof the shaft d next to the nut in is flattened to fitinto the slot 0 on that side of the frame and prevent said shaft fromturning in the frame.

In standards or uprights m rising from the sides of the frame a, a bladeholder is pivotally mounted parallel with the shaft 03. This holderconsists of two'metal plates at and 0, which are pivoted together at oneend and are adaped to be sprung into engagement with each other at theopposite end, the plate 1?. being formed or provided with an overhangingcatch 39 under which the end of the plate 0 is turned and sprung intoengagement. The plate 0 is provided with a thumb piece jg, which may beformed by an up or ou'tfturned piece of the metal of which the plate ismade. The pivot connections between the holder and frame may beconveniently formed as shown, by turning the metal of whichfthe plate nis made into a tubular pivot pin rat one end, and a sleeve 8' inalinementtherewith at the other end. The pivot pin 7' fits into anopening in one of the standards m, and a pivot screw 1? threaded in theother standard, fits into the sleeve 8 as shown in Fig. 4. Thisconstruction of the pivot connections of the blade holder affords meansfor readily removing the blade holder from the frame and replacing itwith another adapted to blades other shape or kind. In the present casethe holder is designed for use with thin of any blades having holesthrough them such for against the plate a.

On the pivot pin 1- of the holder, a pinion 'w is secured, and when theparts of the-sharpener are assembled this pinion is connected with thegear iby an idle pinion a: mounted on a screw or stud y, projectinginwardly from the adjacent standard m.

In the operation of the sharpener, a blade a being inserted in theholder, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 6, the drive wheels 6 are rolled overthe flat surface, such as a table top or the like, and their rotarymovement is communicated through the rod k to the sharpening wheel 9. Atthe same time the blade holder is turned through the frictionalengagement of the gear 2' with the adjacent drive wheel 2, so as tocarry and hold the blade against the sharpening wheel on the descendingside thereof, as shown in Fig. 3, sharpener is advanced the drive andsharpening wheel depending upon the tension of the spring j, which isregulated as desired, by the adjustment of the nut Z. When the sharpeneris advanced the drive and sharpening wheels are turned forward asindicated by full line arrows on Figs. 1, 2 and 3, andthe blade holderwith the blade is swung forward carrying the lower edge of the bladeinto contact with the descending side of the sharpening wheel, as shownin the same figures.

'The rotation of the sharpening wheel 9 by the drive wheels e and rod)5. on the screw shaft d, shifts it endwise across the blade, producingan oblique or diagonal wiping or rubbing action along one of the beveledfaces forming the cutting edge of the blade.

This oblique or diagonal action of the sharpening wheel resulting fromthe composite [rotary and axial movement thereof, closely resembles themost effective oblique draw- 5 ing movement practised by a skilledoperator in stropping and honing an ordinary razor.

When the sharpener is drawn back over the surfacewith which the drivewheels are I held in contact, the blade holder is instantly reversed bythe initial movement of the gear 2', as indicated by dotted lines anddotted arrow on Fig. 3, the rotary and axial movements of the sharpeningwheel are also reversed, the face of the wheel traversing the otherbeveled face of the blade. The above described operations are repeateduntii thg.

composition, leather or the like, of different degrees of coarseness orof varying texture, for honing and stropping, and it may be furnishedwith holders for blades of different makes.

The sharpening wheel 9 is easily and quickly removed by simply looseningthe nuts and Z, withdrawing the screw shaft d with the parts mountedthereon from the slots 0 in the frame, and then removing the nut is,slipping the drive wheel 6 adjacent thereto, off from the shaft 03 androd 72. and finally turning the sharpening wheel backward orto the lefttill it clears the thread on shaft d, another wheel being substituted bya reversal of the foregoing manipulations.

When a two-edged blade such as is shown by the drawing, is to besharpened, one edge is first sharpened in the manner above explained,then the blade is reversed in the holder by disengaging the pivotedspringclamping plate 0 from the catcher projection 39 on the plate 01.by turning it back into the position shown in Fig. 5. The blade beingthus released is turned over and placed in position on the bosses orstuds u and the plate 0 turned back into place and sprung under and intoengagement with the catch or projection p. Y

The blade holder is quickly and easily removed from the frame byunscrewing the stud t and withdrawing it from the pivot sleeve 8, andanother holder is inserted in the sharpener by a reversal of thesemanipula- I tions. I

Various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of partsmay be made without materially affecting the o eration of the device andwithin the principle of the i invention.

I claim:

1. In a safety-razor blade. sharpener the combination of a frameprovided with a non-rotative transverse screw shaft, a trac- I tiondrive wheel coaxial with said shaft a sharpening wheel threaded andaxially movable on said shaft and having a rotating connection with saiddrive wheel, the axial movement of the sharpening wheel in oppoi tatablearound and parallel with said screw site directions being limited atpredetermined points, and a holder for supporting a blade in contactwith the sharpening wheel.

2. In a safety-razor blade sharpener the combination of a portable frameprovided with a handle and with a non-rotative trans-V verse screwshaft, a sharpening wheel threaded on said shaft and movable axiallyback and forth thereon as it is rotated first in one direction and thenin the other, a rod roshaft and passing loosely through the sharpeningwheel, the axial movement of the sharpening Wheel in opposite directionsbeing limitedat. predetermined points, a traction drive wheel mountedinsaid frame and having a rotating connection with'sai'd rod; and aholder adapted to support a blade in contact with said sharpening wheel.

3. Ina safety-razor blade sharpener the combination of a frameprovidedwith a nonrotative transverse screw shaft, traction drive wheelsrotatably mounted in said frame at the ends of said shaft and coaxialtherewith, a sharpening wheel threaded and axially movable on said shaftand having a rotating connection with the drive wheels which serve asstops to limit the axial movement of the sharpening wheel in oppositedirections at predetermined points, and a holder mounted in said frameand adapted to support a blade in contact with the sharpening wheel.

4. In a safety-razor blade sharpener the combination of a frame providedwith a non-rotative transverse screw shaft, traction drivewheelsrotatably mounted in said frame at the ends of and coaxial with saidshaft,- a sharpening wheel threaded on said shaft, a rod passing looselythrough said sharpening wheel parallel with said shaft and connected atthe ends with said drive wheels which serve as stops to limit the axialmovement of the sharpening wheel in opposite directions at predeterminedpoints, and

aholder mounted in said frame and adapted to support a blade in contactwith the sharpening wheel. 1

- In witness whereof I hereto afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM O. FAIST. Witnesses:

CHAS. L. Gross, ALICE E. Goss.

